Seeing 2020: The Freedom to Choose

At the last Democratic Debate in Ohio, 2020 candidates tackled the debate on the freedom to choose. If you happened to miss the debate, we've summed up their stances for you:

Joe Biden

• Advocates for pushing legislation to enshrine abortion rights if the Supreme Court overrules Roe
• Believes that life begins at conception, but does not support imposing that view on others
• No longer supports the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortion under programs like Medicaid

Cory Booker

• Vows to create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom, which would coordinate and advance abortion rights and access to reproductive health
• Supports public funding for abortion services
• Would reverse the global gag rule

Pete Buttigieg

• Repeal the Hyde Amendment
• Comprehensive reproductive health
• Abortion is a "moral question" that cannot be decided by science, so it must be decided by the woman

Kamala Harris

• Proposed a law similar to the Voting Rights Act that would require states with a history if undermining Roe to get pre-clearance before imposing new abortion laws
• Pledges to appoint pro-Roe judges
• Vows to repeal the global gag rule
• Supports federal funding for family planning clinics, such as Planned Parenthood

Amy Klobuchar

• Voted no on barring minors from crossing state lines to get abortions
• Voted no on a measure to bar Health and Human Services grants to institutions that perform abortions
• No published presidential policy stances on the freedom to choose

Beto O'Rourke

• Opposes a ban on federal funding of abortion for poor women
• Co-sponsored the Women's Health Protection Act
• Pledges to protect Roe v. Wade at every level of the federal judiciary
• Opposes abortion restrictions on private insurance
• Vows to lift global and Title X gag rules

Bernie Sanders

• Vows to oppose all efforts to overthrow Roe v. Wade
• Supports full funding for Planned Parenthood and Title X planning programs
• Voted against a ban on late-term abortion, against banning people from taking minors across state lines for abortions, and against barring Health and Human Services grants to organizations that perform abortions

Elizabeth Warren

• Pledged to protect Roe v. Wade
• Vows to create federal, statutory rights that parallel the constitutional rights in Roe v. Wade
• Vows to pass federal laws to preempt state effort that limit access to reproductive health
• Pledges to guarantee reproductive health coverage as part of all health coverage